The Brooks Review

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Leica Sofort 2June 13, 2024
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Recent Articles

  • Looking at the Wrong Specs

    *Editors note: This post was updated to remove all mention of the Tim Moynihan post that I had originally linked to and quoted.* [Canon released a new camera](http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_sx260_hs) that: >The fact that the PowerShot SX260 HS digital camera is an ultra-slim camera with a powerful 20x Optical Zoom […] I don’t give a damn about…

    *Editors note: This post was updated to remove all mention of the Tim Moynihan post that I had originally linked to and quoted.*

    [Canon released a new camera](http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_sx260_hs) that:

    >The fact that the PowerShot SX260 HS digital camera is an ultra-slim camera with a powerful 20x Optical Zoom […]

    I don’t give a damn about this camera, but I think it offers an interesting glimpse at the market. That is: consumers are looking at the wrong specs. Traditionally in this segment it was all about megapixels, but now it seems to be all about: optical zoom and Wi-Fi (this particular camera does not have Wi-Fi but it was a trend at CES). Both are horrible features to care about, let alone to base a decision on.

    Wi-Fi is just a way to get pictures off your camera and onto the computer without all that “hassle” of taking a memory card out. It’s a non-feature-feature — a throw-in.

    Optical zoom *is* important, but not when stated as 20x. Because a multiplier specification like `20x` is not something you can compare from camera to camera. If the focal length starts at 10mm on one and 40mm on another then 20x that initial focal length on the first and 20x on the second means two entirely different things.

    In fact, if you are worried about zooming in that much with a point and shoot, perhaps you should look at other offerings.

    The two features that matter most on a point-and-shoot to almost all consumers are:

    1. How wide angle is the lens. This matters because you are going to take far more pictures close up to things than you will far away. Wouldn’t it be nice to fit that entire building in the frame without having to walk a block away? Or fit the line of five friends in frame while still being able to stand in the same room? My most used camera lens on my dSLR? A 17-40 wide angle lens on a full frame camera — that’s a useful lens. My least used: 80-200mm lens.
    2. ISO, or noise is the second most important factor. Most of our pictures aren’t well lit, so you really need to look at how well the camera handles noise in dimly lit photos. If you can get a camera that performs with low noise at high ISO speeds, then you are going to be far happier with your photos and that trip to download them on the computer won’t matter as much.

    Those two items are going to be far more helpful than a 20x optical zoom ever will be — remember that the next time you buy any camera.

  • Tweet of the Day: Dan Frommer

    “Google, once the poster child for simplicity, has become Microsoft. Try managing a Google Apps domain for the full experience.” — Dan Frommer (@fromedome) February 7, 2012

    “Google, once the poster child for simplicity, has become Microsoft. Try managing a Google Apps domain for the full experience.”
    — Dan Frommer (@fromedome) February 7, 2012

  • ‘Samsung Shoots at Apple, Hits the Customer’

    Shawn Blanc on Samsung’s odd Super Bowl ad: >Whomever it was that Samsung was trying to advertise to, they managed to insult instead.

    Shawn Blanc on Samsung’s odd Super Bowl ad:
    >Whomever it was that Samsung was trying to advertise to, they managed to insult instead.

  • A Succinct Description of Starbucks

    Frank Chimero on why he likes to write at Starbucks: >I can focus on the words, because the rest of the environment is vignetted in a fuzziness produced by its lack of opinion on the world. Well said.

    Frank Chimero on why he likes to write at Starbucks:
    >I can focus on the words, because the rest of the environment is vignetted in a fuzziness produced by its lack of opinion on the world.

    Well said.

  • Amazon Item of the Week: My New Travel/Office Headphones

    I purchased these Sennheiser PX 200 II i headphones on a recommendation from Marco and took them with me on the plane to San Francisco. Not only are they nice and compact, but they are incredibly comfortable. I typically don’t go for headphones that are on-ear. My ideal headphones are over the ear style after…

    I purchased these Sennheiser PX 200 II i headphones on a recommendation from Marco and took them with me on the plane to San Francisco. Not only are they nice and compact, but they are incredibly comfortable.

    I typically don’t go for headphones that are on-ear. My ideal headphones are over the ear style after which I I used to prefer in-ear buds — but no more. This was the first plane flight where I wasn’t messing about with my in-ear headphones, trying keep them in my ear, or trying and find a more comfortable position.

    They are priced right too.

  • An Amazon Store in Seattle?

    Laura Owen: >A new report suggests that Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is opening a small, Kindle-focused retail store in Seattle to test whether the concept could be expanded to other markets. Sounds like the idea is that they would sell Kindles, accessories, and Kindle exclusive books. It’s interesting to me mostly because I can’t help but…

    Laura Owen:
    >A new report suggests that Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is opening a small, Kindle-focused retail store in Seattle to test whether the concept could be expanded to other markets.

    Sounds like the idea is that they would sell Kindles, accessories, and Kindle exclusive books. It’s interesting to me mostly because I can’t help but wonder what such a store would look like.

    It stands to reason that Amazon might copy the Apple Store model that Microsoft also hijacked, but then again Amazon also doesn’t seem to mind being a bit different. I’m not talking just about the products they would stock, but how those products are displayed and how the staff interacts with customers.

    I think such a store would reveal a heck of a lot about Amazon.

    More than anything, opening a physical store, seems to go against everything that Amazon is and everything Amazon has built up.

  • The B&B Podcast – Episode 45: A Slightly Better Pedigree of Americanos

    >Shawn and Ben talk about coffee and Americanos, the Samsung Galaxy Note and its revolutionary new stylus, and then they go down the rabbit hole known as ‘Ben’s Paranoia’ as they discuss Google and social networks. Brought to you by the fine folks behind [Doxie Go](http://www.getdoxie.com/a/bbpodcast_feb12.php) and [Jumpchart](https://www.jumpchart.com/).

    >Shawn and Ben talk about coffee and Americanos, the Samsung Galaxy Note and its revolutionary new stylus, and then they go down the rabbit hole known as ‘Ben’s Paranoia’ as they discuss Google and social networks.

    Brought to you by the fine folks behind [Doxie Go](http://www.getdoxie.com/a/bbpodcast_feb12.php) and [Jumpchart](https://www.jumpchart.com/).

  • ‘PSA: WD40 Will Not Fix Your Home Button, May Damage Your iPhone or iPad’

    Allyson Kazmucha for iMore on the WD-40 home button “fix”: >WD-40 may be non-conductive but the solvent in it will break down plastic. Your home button is plastic as well as some of the internal parts. Your speaker assembly is plastic and sits directly below your home button. [Exactly](https://brooksreview.net/2012/01/wd-40-trick/).

    Allyson Kazmucha for iMore on the WD-40 home button “fix”:

    >WD-40 may be non-conductive but the solvent in it will break down plastic. Your home button is plastic as well as some of the internal parts. Your speaker assembly is plastic and sits directly below your home button.

    [Exactly](https://brooksreview.net/2012/01/wd-40-trick/).

  • ‘Speculative Developers’

    David Sparks on speculative developers: >Don’t make 60 crappy apps: Make one really good one. These types of developers along with those that simply copy other developers are really ruining the experience for geeks and non-geeks alike. At least, it seems, Apple is [starting to crack down](http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/40101/Apple_removes_several_iOS_copycat_games_from_one_offending_developer.php) on some the more obvious copycat offenders in…

    David Sparks on speculative developers:
    >Don’t make 60 crappy apps: Make one really good one.

    These types of developers along with those that simply copy other developers are really ruining the experience for geeks and non-geeks alike.

    At least, it seems, Apple is [starting to crack down](http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/40101/Apple_removes_several_iOS_copycat_games_from_one_offending_developer.php) on some the more obvious copycat offenders in the App Store.

  • ‘It’s Got a Pen?’

    That’s the key line in Samsung’s Super Bowl ad for it’s new pen based tablet/phone thing. I didn’t comment when the ad came on, but here’s roughly what I heard in the room I was standing in: – “Bwahahaahahah, is that a tablet or a phone?” – “My old Palm Pilot had a pen…” –…

    That’s the key line in Samsung’s Super Bowl ad for it’s new pen based tablet/phone thing.

    I didn’t comment when the ad came on, but here’s roughly what I heard in the room I was standing in:

    – “Bwahahaahahah, is that a tablet or a phone?”
    – “My old Palm Pilot had a pen…”
    – “Mine too, do you still have your Palm?”

    Two thoughts about this:

    1. If your brand new product is being compared to a Palm Pilot, then you have already lost.
    2. If the first feature of a new touchscreen device that you want to tout is a stylus — perhaps you need to rethink that device.

  • ‘Over 3 Years Later, “Deleted” Facebook Photos Are Still Online’

    Jacqui Cheng: >In the meantime, photos that users thought they “deleted” from the social network months or even years ago remain accessible via direct link. I think it is safest to assume that once a photo, or anything really, is online it is out there permanently.

    Jacqui Cheng:
    >In the meantime, photos that users thought they “deleted” from the social network months or even years ago remain accessible via direct link.

    I think it is safest to assume that once a photo, or anything really, is online it is out there permanently.

  • ‘Weblining’

    Lori Andrews: >The term Weblining describes the practice of denying people opportunities based on their digital selves. You might be refused health insurance based on a Google search you did about a medical condition. You might be shown a credit card with a lower credit limit, not because of your credit history, but because of…

    Lori Andrews:
    >The term Weblining describes the practice of denying people opportunities based on their digital selves. You might be refused health insurance based on a Google search you did about a medical condition. You might be shown a credit card with a lower credit limit, not because of your credit history, but because of your race, sex or ZIP code or the types of Web sites you visit.

    If you use Google, or any social network, then this is a must read.

  • iMovie vs Avid Studio

    Leanna Lofte: >Both iMove and Avid Studio can do the basics that you would expect from any video editor. You can insert videos, photos, and music, trim clips, add titles, and export to YouTube. Unfortunately for iMovie, this is where the similarities end. Glad she wrote this up — I have been really curious how…

    Leanna Lofte:
    >Both iMove and Avid Studio can do the basics that you would expect from any video editor. You can insert videos, photos, and music, trim clips, add titles, and export to YouTube. Unfortunately for iMovie, this is where the similarities end.

    Glad she wrote this up — I have been really curious how the two stack up. Sounds like Avid is the real deal and should only get better.

  • The iPad’s split keyboard has phantom buttons.

    That’s clever. I rarely see the need for the split keyboard, but I’m glad to see it wasn’t as much as of an afterthought as it first seemed the keyboard was.

    That’s clever. I rarely see the need for the split keyboard, but I’m glad to see it wasn’t as much as of an afterthought as it first seemed the keyboard was.

  • Tumblr Introduces Another Revenue Stream… Maybe

    David Karp on the Tumblr Staff blog: >For one dollar, your post will stand out in the Dashboard with a customizable sticker to make sure your followers take notice! I am reminded of [this quote from Art Webb](http://quotesondesign.com/art-webb/): >If you make everything bold, nothing is bold.

    David Karp on the Tumblr Staff blog:
    >For one dollar, your post will stand out in the Dashboard with a customizable sticker to make sure your followers take notice!

    I am reminded of [this quote from Art Webb](http://quotesondesign.com/art-webb/):

    >If you make everything bold, nothing is bold.

  • Apple Already Patched the FileVault 2 Hack?

    According to this support document (you need to be logged in to view it) Apple says that 10.7.2 and Security Update 2011-006 did the following: >Impact: A person with physical access may be able to access the user’s password >Description: A logic error in the kernel’s DMA protection permitted firewire DMA at loginwindow, boot, and…

    According to this support document (you need to be logged in to view it) Apple says that 10.7.2 and Security Update 2011-006 did the following:

    >Impact: A person with physical access may be able to access the user’s password

    >Description: A logic error in the kernel’s DMA protection permitted firewire DMA at loginwindow, boot, and shutdown, although not at screen lock. This update addresses the issue by preventing firewire DMA at all states where the user is not logged in.

    >CVE-ID

    >CVE-2011-3215 : Passware, Inc.

    That sounds an awful lot like it patched the [previously report security vulnerability of FileVault 2](https://brooksreview.net/2012/02/filevault-hack/).

    [via reader Matt S]

  • ‘Ice Cream Sandwich Now on 1% of Android Devices’

    Vincent Messina: >That’s right, Ice Cream Sandwich now occupies 1% of Android devices according to this month’s Android Platform Distribution chart. He does note that Gingerbread is on 58.6% of Android devices. For those not familiar with the ridiculous naming system in Android, Gingerbread is versions 2.3-2.3.7 and Ice Cream Sandwich (the newest) is version…

    Vincent Messina:
    >That’s right, Ice Cream Sandwich now occupies 1% of Android devices according to this month’s Android Platform Distribution chart.

    He does note that Gingerbread is on 58.6% of Android devices. For those not familiar with the ridiculous naming system in Android, Gingerbread is versions 2.3-2.3.7 and Ice Cream Sandwich (the newest) is version 4.0-4.0.3.

    In other words it is big news that software that is two versions old is now on the majority of devices and that three months in 1% of devices are using the latest version of Android.

    What a mess.

    I’d be pissed if I bought a new Android phone on a two year contract and was still stuck on Gingerbread.

  • Apple Removed Products From German Online Store Due to Motorola Injunction Based on FRAND Patent

    Florian Mueller reports that Apple had to pull the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 (not 4S) and the 3G iPad models from its online store to comply with a Motorola injunction. I’d be pissed at Motorola if I lived in Germany. This is something I have been thinking about for quite a while now. Say you…

    Florian Mueller reports that Apple had to pull the iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 (not 4S) and the 3G iPad models from its online store to comply with a Motorola injunction. I’d be pissed at Motorola if I lived in Germany.

    This is something I have been thinking about for quite a while now. Say you are a diehard Apple fan and you also love Google, just not Android phones. Google wins a patent spat against Apple and now, all of a sudden, the Apple products that you can buy are restricted. Maybe you can’t get the latest tech when you want it.

    Does this kind of result make you more or less an Apple fan? Does this make you more or less willing to buy Android or Google products, knowing that they are the cause of these restrictions?

    I find it interesting the damage that can come from protecting your own intellectual property.

    [In other news](http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2012/02/motorola-wins-german-injunction-against.html): Germans can’t use the push feature of iCloud email anymore.

    **Update**: [That was short lived.](http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2012/02/appeals-court-grants-apple-temporary.html)

  • ‘Mac OSX Lion’s Scroll Breaks the Web’

    Since we are on the topic of linkbait, here is a post from Teambox. The general idea of this post is this: they have a horizontally scrolling web app, but because of the way that Lion implements (by default) horizontal scrolling some users end up moving backwards in their web history instead of scrolling the…

    Since we are on the topic of linkbait, here is a post from Teambox. The general idea of this post is this: they have a horizontally scrolling web app, but because of the way that Lion implements (by default) horizontal scrolling some users end up moving backwards in their web history instead of scrolling the Teambox web app.

    After they did (I am sure) copious amounts of research, the people at Teambox have decided that Lion:

    >[…] breaks the web with a non-standard behavior, and gives you no JS API to prevent it.

    The funny thing is, does it really “break the web”? Nope, just checked and I could still use “the web”. What about the non-standard part? Well it comes *standard* on all new Macs this way, so I am going to go ahead and say that this is 100% a standard feature for most all Mac users.

    What this article is really about is a web app that doesn’t work well with Lion’s new default behavior, thus breaking this one particular web app. What this isn’t about is “breaking the web”.

  • Topher Kessler, A Hack

    Topher Kessler writing about the [same FileVault 2 vulnerability that I just posted a Macworld link to](https://brooksreview.net/2012/02/filevault-hack/), writes about the sensationalist headline, but not the information that readers need to know. Macworld specified the conditions under which the hack can happen: FireWire port and user needs to be logged in. Kessler just says that anyone…

    Topher Kessler writing about the [same FileVault 2 vulnerability that I just posted a Macworld link to](https://brooksreview.net/2012/02/filevault-hack/), writes about the sensationalist headline, but not the information that readers need to know. Macworld specified the conditions under which the hack can happen: FireWire port and user needs to be logged in.

    Kessler just says that anyone with this $995 software can crack a FileVault 2 disk in no more than 40 minutes using a FireWire port. Which is a line of bullshit. The most important part is that the user must already be logged in — that gives every FileVault 2 user an easy way around the security hole: logging out.

    It’s one thing to write a craptastic-linkbaiting headline, but it’s an entirely worse offense to not even give readers the full details of the story you are writing about.

    Pathetic.